No Pakistan representative at trophy ceremony upsets Shoaib Akhtar

Legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disappointment over the absence of a Pakistan representative at the Champions Trophy presentation ceremony on Sunday in Dubai. Akhtar stated that a representative from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should have been present to hand over the trophy to India, who defeated New Zealand in a thrilling final.

Speaking in a video on X, Shoaib Akhtar said it was disheartening to see no Pakistan representative on the grand occasion in Dubai, despite Pakistan being the official host of the tournament. 

The Champions Trophy was presented to winning captain Rohit Sharma by International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah. The iconic white blazers for the champions were handed over by Board of Control for Cricket in India



(BCCI) president Roger Binny. Other dignitaries on stage included former Australia captain Aaron Finch and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.

"India has won the ICC Champions Trophy. There was one odd thing: no one from the Pakistan Cricket Board during the presentation ceremony. Pakistan is the host of the Champions Trophy, but there was no representative of Pakistan who was standing. No one was there to present the trophy. It is beyond me. Think about it. The tournament was hosted by us, but there was nobody there. Feeling very down to see that," Akhtar said.

It was surprising to see even PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi absent from the presentation ceremony. Notably, BCCI vice-presient Rajeev Shukla attended the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand in Lahore on March 05.